Currently, the world is racked with widespread anxiety owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the world of publishing, bookstores and libraries are being forced to temporarily close en masse. This has led to a considerable reduction in the chance that people will encounter new stories. Following the state of emergency, Kodansha has considered how authors and publishers might come together to work on a project that would still be remembered years after its inception. The result of this planning is the online serial publication "Day to Day". Each day, the publication will feature a new short work set in Japan after April 1st 2020 and written by a different author.

Just one week after its announcement, over 50 authors representing Japan have submitted their short stories and essays. Every day and night, new writers are continuing to join the project.

Planned Writers for the Short Stories and Essays

Sako Aizawa, Aito Aoyagi, Asai Makate, Asano Atsuko, Jirō Akagawa, Takami Akikawa, Rikako Akiyoshi, Kaeruko Akeno, Kasumi Asakura, Jirō Asada, Kazushi Asami, Yō Ashizawa, Takemaru Abiko, Hiro Arikawa, Alice Arisugawa, Magi Inoue, Kozue Ōsaki, Riku Onda, Takeru Kaidō, Ryōsuke Takine, Chōhei Kanbayashi, Izumi Kurosawa, Shinobu Gotō, Fumie Kondō, Satoshi Konno, Seinan Satō¸ Akira Shiga, Kiyoshi Shigematsu, Ritsu Shūki, Izumi Sunohara, Hideaki Sena, Mizumi Takaoka, Kenji Takamoto, Yosihki Tanaka, Masaki Tsuji, Mizuki Tsujimura, Hiromaki Togami, Hiroki Nagaoka, Shichiri Nakayama, Yū Nagira, Ishin Nishio, Kyōtarō Nishimura, Kei Nitadori, Tokurō Nukui, Rintarō Norizuki, Yabusaka Hayasaka, Ren Hanna, Tokuya Higashigawa, Asako Hiruta, Reiichirō Fukami, Michiru Fushino, Yukiko Mari, Kanae Minato, Hiroko Minagawa, Hiroshi Mori, Gaku Yakumaru, Dai Yokozeki, Toriko Yoshikawa, Sōsuke Watari (As of April 28th)

Project Summary

The series will begin from midnight May 1st (Fri), with the stories being published for free on literary news site TREE (https://tree-novel.com/), run jointly by Kodansha and MIRAI SOUZOU. With each work set in Japan after April 1st 2020, each day will see a new writer penning a short story or essay.

The first work published on May 1st will be a short story set on the day April 1st 2020, written by Mizuki Tsujimura. Works published after May 2nd will be set after the day April 2nd, and works published after May 3rd will be set after the day April 3rd.

Each work will be around 500 words in length, and can be read in a 2~3 minute session. The website can be accessed through smartphone, tablet, or PC. The stories will also have English and Chinese translations available.

This project was started on short-notice, and Kodansha extends its thanks to TranNet KK (https://www.trannet.co.jp/) who have taken charge of the English translation, and Professor Yuankun Yue from Peking University, winner of the 18th Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature, who has taken charge of the Chinese translation.

Comment from the English Translation Manager: TranNet KK
Having introduced wonderful works of Japanese literature to English-speaking countries over the last 15 years, we were greatly moved when Kodansha spoke to us in the hope of enlisting our company in managing the English translation. Though we may be a smaller company than some, we hope to use our depth of experience to bring these stories to English readers across the world.

TranNet KK
Translation company specializing in publication, with over 2,300 translations published. In recent years, they have focused on translating and publishing Japanese literature overseas, particularly in Western countries. They also work to spread awareness of Japanese literature in other countries, working as the overseas publishing agents for writers including Kazufumi Shiraishi and Randy Taguchi, as well as promoting and accompanying writers including Risa Wataya and Fuminori Nakamuara at literary events overseas. They have also been involved with English translation and editing books published by JAPAN LIBRARY, an international public relations project run by the Cabinet Office of Japan.

Comment from the Chinese Translator: Yuankun Yue
When I received the offer to work on this project, I accepted it at once. I believed there was no project more meaningful than this. All fiction is based on “untruth.” But, there are times when the truth can be expressed through that “untruth” of a story. This project, which features both fiction (stories) and nonfiction (essays), reflects the daily thoughts of Japanese writers during the state of emergency. I would be happy if these thoughts can help readers in China, who are sharing in the experience of facing an unprecedented crisis of the modern age.

Yuankun Yue
Born in Shandong Province, China in 1981. Obtained a Ph.D. in literature at the Beijing Center for Japanese Studies. Currently works as an assistant-professor at Peking University’s School of Foreign Languages. Specializes in Japanese literature. Won the 18th Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese
Literature in 2011. Translated works include Sōhachi Yamaoka’s Tokugawa Ieyasu, Ryōtarō Shiba’s Ryōma ga yuku (Ryōma goes), a collection of short stories by Mori Ōgai entitled Maihime (Dancing girl), Tatsuo Hori’s Kaze tachinu (The wind has risen), a collection of works by Haruo Satō entitled Den’en no yūutsu (Melancholy of the countryside), Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women, Shūichi Yoshida’s Ikari (Rage), and Nanae Aoyama’s Kairaku (Pleasure).

Comment from the Editor
Whether we turn on the TV or check your social media feeds, news about COVID-19 continues to dominate our lives. In the midst of these hard times, we hope that the efforts of these writers will help to lighten your burdens, even if just by a small amount. For all those who love to read, please enjoy this literary journey that will begin today.
-Kodansha Editing Department

About TREE (https://tree-novel.com/)
A literary news site run by Kodansha, with the motto “Helping readers meet a beloved story.” Books are born from trees. Tomorrow’s books will begin here. The site also offers information on literature from other companies, filled with a passion for books.